Father's day: origins and curiosities

Father's Day was born in the early decades of the 20th century and is celebrated on various dates around the world. Already in 1871 the Catholic Church had proclaimed Saint Joseph protector of family fathers. In the countries that follow the Anglo-Saxon tradition, the celebration is held on the third Sunday of June; in other countries the date of Father's Day follows local traditions. In some states the celebration is associated with fathers in their national role, such as in Russia, where it is celebrated as the 'Defender of the Fatherland Day' and in Thailand, where it coincides with the birthday of the late ruler Rama IX, revered as the father of the nation.

Culinary curiosities

The typical Father's Day dessert has regional variations but the common ingredients are creams, jams and choux pastry. In Rome there are the Bignè di San Giuseppe, in Naples the Zeppola di San Giuseppe. According to tradition in fact, after the escape to Egypt with Mary and Jesus, Saint Joseph had to sell sweets in order to support his family in a foreign land. In Tuscany and Umbria, the rice pancake, prepared with rice cooked in milk, is popular as a typical dessert. In Emilia Romagna, the typical dessert of the holiday is raviola (a small wrapper of shortcrust pastry dough with jam, cream or other filling). In Sicily there are different types of sweets such as the Sfince di San Giuseppe.